Game ID: 22500530
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 32 31 43 25 131CLE 31 36 22 33 122
CLE @ MIN ScoutingCLE @ MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIN availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 2 since 12/27, out tonight
BACK Conley back 12/21 after 4, 20 min since (115% of 18)
MIN availability going into 1/03 · 2 days' restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 3 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/04 · back-to-backOUT Shannon Jr. missed 4 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/06 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 5 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 6 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 7 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Shannon Jr. missed 8 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 9 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/16 · 2 days' restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 10 since 12/27, out tonight
CLE availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 14 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 25 min since (75% of 33)
BACK Merrill back 12/22 after 14, 26 min since (106% of 25)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 5 min since (37% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 2 since 12/29, returns tonight: 15 min (71% of 21)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 15 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 26 min since (79% of 33)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 9 min since (62% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/04 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 16 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 27 min since (83% of 33)
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 15 min since (71% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 12 min since (84% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/06 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 1/02, returns tonight: 8 min (38% of 22)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 17 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 14 min since (95% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 18 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 2 since 1/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 1/06 after 2, 8 min since (38% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 15 min since (104% of 14)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 19 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 1/06, returns tonight: 3 min (24% of 11)
OUT Proctor missed 3 since 1/04, returns tonight: 3 min (27% of 10)
BACK Wade back 1/06 after 2, 8 min since (38% of 22)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 3 since 1/06, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 20 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 10)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 4 since 1/06, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 21)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 21 since 11/30, returns tonight: 5 min (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 10)
CLE availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 4 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Ball back 1/14 after 4, 14 min since (68% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/14 after 21, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 4 min since (38% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 16 times a game to Minnesota's 11. Call it Minnesota 119, Cleveland 113.
12/31 @ ATL 102-126 — MIN notes
MIN lost 102-126. MIN shot 43% (37 of 87) to ATL's 49%, 14 of 40 from three. MIN turned it over 14 times to ATL's 8, and ATL turned those into 9 steals. Edwards led with 30 (10 of 18, 3 of 8 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Randle added 19, Juzang 10. Q4 was theirs, 29-28, the deficit cut from 25 to 24, but the other 3 periods went 98-73 against them. Reid's -23 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ MIA 125-115 — MIN notes
MIN won 125-115. MIN shot 54% (46 of 85) to MIA's 47%, 11 of 38 from three. Edwards led with 33 (10 of 19, 2 of 8 from three, 11 of 14 at the line); Reid added 29, Randle 23. The hinge was Q4, 35-29: a lead of 4 became 10, and the lead reached 21. DiVincenzo was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
1/04 @ WAS 141-115 — MIN notes
MIN won 141-115. MIN shot 56% (55 of 98) to WAS's 49%, 11 of 37 from three, and went to the line 27 times to WAS's 19 — 20 points from the stripe to their 17. MIN turned it over 14 times to WAS's 19. The glass went 51-35 for them. Edwards led with 35 (14 of 21, 6 of 10 from three); Randle added 22, Gobert 18. The hinge was Q3, 35-21: a lead of 15 became 29, and the lead reached 37. Gobert was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/06 vs MIA 122-94 — MIN notes
MIN won 122-94. MIN shot 46% (45 of 98) to MIA's 36%, 14 of 39 from three, and went to the line 23 times to MIA's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. MIN turned it over 12 times to MIA's 17. The glass went 63-50 for them. Edwards led with 26 (8 of 18, 5 of 8 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); McDaniels added 19, Randle 15. The hinge was Q4, 29-17: a lead of 16 became 28, and the lead reached 31. Reid was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/08 vs CLE 131-122 — MIN notes
MIN won 131-122. MIN shot 57% (51 of 89) to CLE's 53%, 20 of 38 from three. MIN turned it over 17 times to CLE's 12, and CLE turned those into 9 steals. Randle led with 28 (10 of 21, 3 of 7 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); McDaniels added 26, Edwards 25. The hinge was Q3, 43-22: MIN came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 17, and the lead reached 20. MIN trailed 63-67 at the half and won the second half 68-55. Randle was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
1/10 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Garland at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 30 and Randle at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 118, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/11 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 118, shooting 54 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 43 percent and 27 from three, 23 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Fox at 17 a game. Without Vassell (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 27 and the defense, San Antonio allowing 104 a night to Minnesota's 118. Call it Minnesota 118, San Antonio 113.
1/13 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gia. Antetokounmpo at 31 and Porter Jr. at 16 a game. Without Prince (31 straight), Sims (4 straight), Nance (8 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 116, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-9 a night and Milwaukee plus-0 and the defense, Milwaukee allowing 110 a night to Minnesota's 116. Call it Minnesota 116, Milwaukee 115, Milwaukee keeping it close.
1/16 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 110, shooting 41 percent and 25 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Thompson at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Eason (3 straight), Finney-Smith (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 44 from three, 19 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 44 percent from three to Houston's 25 and the line, where Houston takes 26 free throws a game to Minnesota's 19. Call it Minnesota 116, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
12/31 vs PHX 129-113 — CLE notes
CLE won 129-113. CLE shot 50% (48 of 96) to PHX's 40%, 15 of 38 from three, and went to the line 22 times to PHX's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 14. Mitchell led with 34 (10 of 18, 4 of 7 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Garland added 19, Tyson 18. The hinge was Q1, 37-21: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 24. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/02 vs DEN 113-108 — CLE notes
CLE won 113-108. CLE shot 50% (43 of 86) to DEN's 43%, 16 of 39 from three, and went to the line 19 times to DEN's 13 — 11 points from the stripe to their 11. CLE turned it over 16 times to DEN's 8, and DEN turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 55-32 for them. Mitchell led with 33 (14 of 24, 5 of 12 from three); Garland added 18, Hunter 16. The hinge was Q4, 25-11: CLE came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 5. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/04 vs DET 110-114 — CLE notes
CLE lost 110-114. CLE shot 44% (35 of 80) to DET's 41%, 14 of 42 from three, and went to the line 30 times to DET's 21 — 26 points from the stripe to their 21. Mitchell led with 30 (10 of 21, 3 of 10 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Garland added 16, Mobley 15. Q1 was theirs, 28-19, but the other 3 periods went 95-82 against them. Ball's -18 in 10 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/06 @ IND 120-116 — CLE notes
CLE won 120-116. CLE shot 56% (49 of 88) to IND's 46%, 10 of 26 from three. CLE turned it over 19 times to IND's 11, and IND turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 48-32 for them. Garland led with 29 (14 of 23, 1 of 4 from three); Mobley added 20, Allen 19. The hinge was Q4, 36-23: CLE came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 4. CLE trailed 53-60 at the half and won the second half 67-56.
1/08 @ MIN 122-131 — CLE notes
CLE lost 122-131. CLE shot 53% (48 of 91) to MIN's 57%, 11 of 33 from three. CLE turned it over 12 times to MIN's 17. Mitchell led with 30 (10 of 20, 2 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Merrill added 22, Mobley 19. Q4 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 17 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 106-89 against them. Allen's -29 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Garland at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 30 and Randle at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 118, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/12 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 121, shooting 53 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Garland at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Wade (2 straight), Ball (3 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 131, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Markkanen at 30 and George at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kessler (33 straight), Bailey (2 straight), Nurkić (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and Utah minus-7 and the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Utah's 32. Call it Cleveland 126, Utah 117.
1/14 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Maxey at 30 and Embiid at 27 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Wade (3 straight), Ball (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 109 a night to Cleveland's 124 and the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Philadelphia's 33. Call it Philadelphia 120, Cleveland 115.
1/16 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Maxey at 27 and Embiid at 24 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 122, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Garland at 22 a game. Without Wade (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 41 percent from three to Philadelphia's 31 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 110 a night to Cleveland's 122. Call it Philadelphia 119, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
EM E. Mobley
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
NT N. Tomlin
SM S. Merrill
MINAE A. Edwards
BH B. Hyland
DD D. DiVincenzo
JC J. Clark
JM J. McDaniels
JR J. Randle
MC M. Conley
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
CLE/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
T-wolves beat Cavaliers 131-122 behind Randle's 28 points, set season highs for shooting percentages
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Julius Randle had 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to help the Minnesota Timberwolves hang on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 131-122 on Thursday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Anthony Edwards added 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while becoming the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points, following LeBron James and Kevin Durant . Edwards, who is 24 years and 156 days old, hit the five-digit mark with a 13-foot fadeaway jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Only seven players ever have hit the five-digit mark before 25.
Randle scored 13 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves built a 20-point lead while outscoring the Cavaliers 43-22 to match the team's season high for points in any period. Jaden McDaniels had 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting, and Donte DiVincenzo went 6 for 10 from 3-point range to finish with 22 points as Minnesota fended off a late Cavaliers surge.
The Timberwolves (25-13) improved to 15-5 since Thanksgiving Day, the best record in the NBA over that span. They started the game on a 17-5 run and finished with season highs in field goal shooting (51 for 89, 57%) and 3-point shooting (20 for 38, 53%) percentages.
Sam Merrill had 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a 3-pointer with 2:56 left for Cleveland that cut the deficit to four. Donovan Mitchell had 30 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers (21-18), who played without forward Dean Wade after he left their previous game with a bruised left knee.
The Timberwolves held a pregame moment of silence for Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot in her car on Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Up next The Cavaliers and Timberwolves finish their two-game season series with the rematch in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon.